John Crown (Independent) | Oireachtas source

That is very simple. My own sense is that the Government and its agencies should not have anything to do with public relations companies. Every public representative should be made to stand or fall on his or her own reputation. Every public or civil servant, above a certain grade, should be put on a rotation where once a month, or once every two months, they are the ones who answer questions from the press. We do not need to hire people to make public servants look good. We need such servants to communicate effectively what job they do.

I say well done to the Minister. I urge him to ask his Cabinet colleagues not to lose the opportunity of speaking, especially in the United States on St. Patrick's Day, and to let people know what is happening. The average American would be horrified to know that the same chamber of commerce which supports American trade and jobs is trying to tell a small country it cannot legislate against tobacco. Let us imagine what would happen if we made cocaine in Ireland, if Irish cocaine was being sold in the States and if the Irish Government tried to stop the American Drug Enforcement Administration from bringing in Irish cocaine. Can Members imagine the outcry there would be if that happened? Can they imagine the level of outrage there would be if the Colombian, Venezuelan or Mexican governments tried to stop the United States from selling drugs which are probably less lethal than the drug which American companies sell in this country? There would be real outrage that would resonate with Americans, American politicians, American regulators, American ambassadors, the Irish-American community and with most of the American investment community. That is a message which needs to be given.